Isn't it beautiful?
by Yamiyugikun
Summary: SD3. A yaoi one shot between Hawk and Duran, mostly shonenai.


My first SD3. One shot between Duran and Hawk. Any feedback would be great.

* * *

His fiery mane splayed out in the wind from beneath his helmet. It whipped about his shoulders, cascading down his back. An orange red, it matched his ruddy complexion, offset by violet eyes. Peering out under his visor, they burned with an intensity betraying his hot-blooded nature. A proud knight, he hated to loose, seeing defeat as a stain on his honor.

He stood tall, his powerful frame stiff in front of his house. "I swore I wouldn't return unless I beat him," he said to himself, thinking of the Red Wizard.

After traveling up from the Molebear Highlands, Forcena had just been attacked. Duran's party snuck in past the Altenean guards locked in combat with the castle soldiers. The Red Wizard loomed just above King Richard, his menacing smile flashing in the dark. Duran came just in time to charge the Wizard, who had said, "It's a shame I left you alive."

"I swear, next time, your head is mine!" Duran swore, after Koren escaped.

"I came so close." Duran tightened his grasp on the hilt of his sword wishing he'd stuck a moment sooner. Koren might be dead. Duran's honor could be restored, but the Red Wizard had vanished.

"Hey Duran, what's wrong?" Hawk asked, catching his him back in the present.

"This is your home, right? Why can't we visit?" insisted Angela, knocking on the door.

"We can go to any house, not just this one." Duran dashed in front of her to block her.

She grinned, sneaking behind him. "Or is it because you keep things in your room, you shouldn't?" she teased, poking him in the back.

"W-what!?" He jumped. His violet eyes went wide, his jaw dropped. He couldn't believe she suspected anything inappropriate in his room. "Shut up!" he hissed, his cheeks tinged a bright red.

"Calm down, you two." Hawk laughed, separating the two. He smiled at Duran, his captivating gold irises drawing the swordsman in. They captured the essence of the desert, clear and yellow in their depths.

Suddenly, Duran realized just how gorgeous Hawk was with his dark mahogany skin, tanned by years of the Navarre sun and his long purple hair tied back, flowing to his waist. He had never noticed, fixated on his journey to defeat Koren instead.

"When a girl does that, it means she likes you," Hawk whispered to Duran, smirking when Angela caught him.

"Did you say something, Hawk?" Raising a brow, Angela crossed her arms.

Turning to face her, he replied casually with ease, "Oh, just how lucky I am to be traveling with a lady like you, Princess." He spoke smoothly while eyeing her, his head cocked to the side.

She blushed, reaching out to slap him. "Don't think I don't know what you're after!"

"I always treat ladies with respect, right, Duran?" The thief snuck quickly behind Duran, placing the swordsman between them.

"Yeah, he does," Duran agreed, grinning over his shoulder at Hawk.

He couldn't help but return it. Cool and calm, nothing ever bothered him. He always stayed in control, never showing his true feelings, the complete opposite of Duran, especially with girls. Duran admired that, wishing he could seem as collected. From his youngest days, Duran recalled acting on his feelings.

"Big brother, you're back!" called a little girl framed in the doorway to Duran's house. It was his younger sister Wendy who heard the racket outside. She hugged him crying tears of joy. A year passed since Aunt Stella told her he departed on a journey and she thought about him every night since.

"Hey sis!" He dropped his shield, squeezing her back. Joy welled within his heart pouring out. "Have you been good to Aunt Stella?"

She nodded, smiling. "Yes. When the magicians attacked, everyone hid inside. I was so scared." Wendy trembled, almost sniffling.

"Duran? Is that you?" Aunt Stella appeared in the doorway behind Wendy, just as surprised. "Thank goodness you're okay. Are those your friends?"

He introduced Hawk and Angela, with Aunt Stella inviting them for dinner. Not since a year ago did Hawk feel a sense of family, the last time with Jessica and Eagle, before Isabella killed him and cursed Jessica. Everyday he held inside the pain, that Jessica believed he murdered Eagle, the man who'd been most dear. He wanted to release it, telling Jessica the truth, and to one day avenge Eagle's death.

Over dinner, Duran noticed how subtly Hawk's hair caught the light in blue slivers that almost glowed. Feeling Duran's gaze, he glanced back. Duran's throat tensed, making it hard to swallow. Suddenly, he felt hot, his cheeks turning pink, a slight shade but nonetheless noticeable. It brought an inner smile to the thief's heart someone thought of him in this special way. Not since Jessica did someone shower that attention. Before her, Hawk had been close to Eagle. They were more than friends or the brothers anyone suspected. To Hawk, it didn't matter if a man or woman loved him, as long as the love was true. Duran seemed to have feelings for him, although not fully aware.

After dinner, everyone gathered by the fireplace. A strong fire crackled casting shadows that danced off darkened walls. The scintillating light played as twin flames in Duran's eyes, their rhythm almost hypnotic. Hawk found himself lost, drowning in the knight's amethyst pools. They pulled him into another world, one where pain no longer existed. He yearned to stay there, snapped out only by the sound of Angela's voice.

"Watch this." In the blackened room, Angela drew her hands together. "O Wisp, Spirit of Light, come forth." A ball of white light emanated between her palms.

"Wow, magic!" exclaimed Wendy, with Aunt Stella just as captivated.

Reclining back, Duran yawned. _How boring, I think I'll go train_, he thought. _If I don't get stronger, I'll never prove the path of knighthood is greater than magic. This is the path for which my father gave his life and so will I._

He snuck away cloaked in the darkness of the room. Hawk spied him, his sight adjusted to the dark, trailing behind the swordsman. He followed outside enjoying the cool evening air. Dusk rolled over the town settling down. Crows cawed calling out to each other from tree to tree gathering in flocks to roost. Their black silhouettes moved swiftly against the night sky, reminding Hawk of his own raids as a thief. Soon, stars littered the sky like a blanket of diamonds strewn out. He remembered how him and Eagle used to watch the stars from the roof of the Navarre Fortress.

_Isn't it beautiful?_ Eagle had asked.

They used to lie out on the sand in each other's arms simply gazing, lost in the vault of the cosmos, boundless and expansive.

"Eagle." Uttering his name brought tears to Hawk. Hawk missed his companionship, the endless hours they spent together below the stars.

"Is someone there?" Duran called out from down the cobblestone street, his voice echoing out.

Hawk vanished like a phantom in the shadows, moving nimbly under cover. He saw Duran brandished a large shield and heavy iron sword, decked out in full armor like Eagle. Their resemblance brought a pang to Hawk's heart. Silver moonlight reflected off his helmet, sword and shield, flashing almost white. His fiery hair blew softly. Hawk held his breath watching the handsome knight pass by.

"I thought someone was there," Duran muttered.

"Hey." Hawk emerged from the darkness, backlit by light from the window of Duran's house.

"Hawk!" he exclaimed, his features bright and animated. "Thanks for the save back there."

"Well, after being with ladies, you learn," he managed to say, looking away. "Things like showing..._how you feel_."

_How you feel?_ Deep emotion ran in his words.

_I don't care if he'll hate me for this_, Hawk thought. He couldn't take it. The similarity between Duran and Eagle hurt too much. In a moment of passion and pain, Hawk wound his arms around Duran's neck. Their lips brushed, lightly at first, then deeper. Hawk's heart raced, his mind spun, he expected to be hit.

Instead, he smiled, gazing up, holding the thief in his arms. "Isn't it beautiful?" he asked in the same tone as Eagle had.

Lost in staring at the heavens, Hawk felt the same joy as he had before. "It is," he replied, laying his head on the knight's broad armored shoulder.

The End


End file.
